I was surprised when I read on Starr fm’s website on 21st February, 2017, that the Speaker of Parliament of Ghana (Prof Mike Oquaye) has called for the amendment of Ghana’s laws to ban homosexuality. Criminalizing homosexuality will sabotage global efforts to eradicate HIV/AIDS.
As a public health student with strong interest in helping eradicate HIV/AIDS, I have read many scientific researches on HIV/AIDS and homosexuality. Homosexuals, especially men who have sex with men (MSM) belong to the groups who are most at risk of HIV/AIDS.
This because of their risky but poor health seeking behaviors. Their poor health seeking behaviour is informed by fear of homophobic attacks, stigma and treatment denial. These factors are strongly associated with the presence of laws criminalizing homosexuality.
Also, there is evidence that homosexuals who fear accessing appropriate care resort to alternative means of preventing and managing HIV/AIDS that, on the contrary, increases their risk of acquiring and spreading the virus. If such conditions persist, the world will fail to eradicate HIV/AIDS by 2030 as inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). So I plead with Hon. Mike Oquaye to reconsider his position on this matter.
Thanks
Yours Faithfully,
Jerry Selase Sifa
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